Pendulum putting trainer

ABSTRACT

A pendulum putting trainer, comprising: a main shaft provided with a handle at one end thereof and a putter head at the other end thereof, the putter head having a striking face and a non-striking face opposite to the striking face; and an auxiliary shaft having a first shaft portion provided with an abutting member at an upper end thereof and a second shaft portion provided with a joining member that connects with the non-striking side of the putter head of the main shaft at a lower end thereof, the auxiliary shaft being arranged obliquely such that it has an included angle with respect to the main shaft; wherein a connecting member is disposed at a location where the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion are connected; and wherein the first shaft portion is hollow and the second shaft portion can move relatively within the first shaft portion and the connecting element, so that a length of the auxiliary shaft can be adjusted to make the auxiliary shaft abut against the user and thereby to help the user maintain a good putting stance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a golf club, and more particularly, to a pendulum putting trainer.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Golf is a very popular sport for its entertaining and competitive aspects. Regarding the entertaining aspect, golf game requires some bodily exertion, such as walking, bending, balancing of the body, cardiorespiratory exercise, and etc., and the golfer can inhale fresh air. For many people, golf is an important activity that allows them to maintain healthiness. In addition to the entertaining aspect, many golfers want to sharpen their skills so that they can take part in the contests held by local golf societies or even become amateur or professional golf players.

In contrast to any other sports, golf may be the only one that focuses exclusively on skills. Learning correct ball striking technique is quite difficult, thus golfers need proper equipments and relevant instructions to assist them in improving their skills.

Putting is the part of the golf game that requires masterful skills. It is advocated by most golf coaches that a putting stroke be executed by way of a pendulum-type stroke. That is, the golfer makes a stroke by rotating his/her upper body and shoulders while keeping elbows and arms abstained from motion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,392 discloses a putting training device based on this stroking method. In this putting training device, an auxiliary member is secured to the putter and extends under the user's armpits. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,401 discloses a putting training device in which a rack is configured to abut against the user's armpits. The training devices disclosed in the above two patents tend to restrain the user's movements so that the user could not make a putting stroke smoothly. These training devices are unable to assist the user in controlling his/her muscles to make accurate putting strokes.

Monitoring the movements of arms and shoulders is the best method for training a user to perform the pendulum-type stroke because arms and shoulders are important organs that connect the user's torso and the putter. Monitoring the movements of arms and shoulders relative to the putter enables the user to self-consciously control these movements so as to make a perfect stroke. No prior art technology achieves such effect so far.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art putting training devices, the present invention provides a novel pendulum putting trainer that allows the user to practice the pendulum-type stroke accurately without restraining the user's movements. Moreover, the length of the auxiliary shaft can be adjusted according to the user's stature. Furthermore, the joining member of the auxiliary shaft is provided with a magnetic element so as to magnetically attach to the putter head of the main shaft.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pendulum putting trainer comprising: a main shaft provided with a handle at one end thereof and a putter head at the other end thereof, the putter head having a striking face and a non-striking side opposite to the striking face; and an auxiliary shaft having a first shaft portion provided with an abutting member at an upper end thereof and a second shaft portion provided with a joining member that connects with the non-striking side of the putter head of the main shaft at a lower end thereof, the auxiliary shaft being arranged obliquely such that it has an included angle with respect to the main shaft; wherein a connecting element is disposed at a location where the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion are connected; and wherein the first shaft portion is hollow and the second shaft portion can move relatively within the first shaft portion and the connecting element, thereby a length of the auxiliary shaft can be adjusted.

Preferably, a screw having external threads is formed at an upper end of the second shaft portion of the auxiliary shaft and mates with a movable locking fastener having internal threads.

Preferably, the connecting element can abut against the movable locking fastener and thereby to prevent the second shaft portion from separating from the first shaft portion downwardly.

Preferably, clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the first shaft portion enables the first shaft portion to secure or release the second shaft portion, thereby a combined length of the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion can be adjusted.

Preferably, the joining member of the second shaft portion of the auxiliary shaft is provided with a magnetic element so as to magnetically attach to the putter head of the main shaft.

Preferably, the magnetic element is provided at a side wall of the joining member close to the non-striking side of the putter head.

Preferably, the magnetic element is provided at a bottom of the joining member.

Preferably, the abutting member of the first shaft portion has a soft material.

Preferably, the main shaft has an inclination greater than that of the auxiliary shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a circle A shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the auxiliary shaft.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circle B shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the joining member of the auxiliary shaft.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention showing the cross-section of the second shaft portion within the first shaft portion and the connecting element.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a circle C shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation showing the downward movement of the second shaft portion with respect to the first shaft portion in accordance with the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation showing the operation of the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention in real practice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While this creation will be fully described with preferred embodiments and the appended drawings, it is to be understood beforehand that those skilled in the art can make modification to the creation described herein and attain the same effect. Therefore, it is to be understood that the description hereinafter is a general representation to those skilled in the art and is not intended to limit the scope of the present creation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a circle A shown in FIG. 1. As shown in the drawings, the present invention provides a pendulum putting trainer 1 comprising: a main shaft 2 provided with a handle 3 at an upper end thereof and a putter head 4 at a lower end thereof, the putter head 4 having a striking face 41 and a non-striking side 42 opposite to the striking face 41; and an auxiliary shaft 5 having a first shaft portion 6 provided with an abutting member 8 at an upper end thereof and a second shaft portion 7 provided with a joining member 9 that connects with the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4 of the main shaft 2 at a lower end thereof, the auxiliary shaft 5 being arranged obliquely such that it has an included angle with respect to the main shaft 2. A connecting element 10 is provided at a location where the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 are connected. The first shaft portion 6 is hollow and the second shaft portion 7 can move relatively within the first shaft portion 6 and the connecting element 10, thereby a length of the auxiliary shaft 5 can be adjusted.

In this embodiment, the putter head 4 is of a flat rectangular shape, and its one side is the flat striking face 41 and the side opposite thereto is the non-striking side 42 having a plurality of curved lines. The main shaft 2 extends upward from the upper end of the putter head 4 in a direction forming an included angle a with a vertical line and the distal end thereof is provided with the handle 3 to be gripped by the user. The auxiliary shaft 5 extends upward obliquely from the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4 in a direction forming an included angle 8 with the vertical line (please refer to FIG. 6). It is to be noted that the main shaft 2 is shorter than the auxiliary shaft 5, and the included angle a formed by the main shaft 2 and the vertical line is greater than the inclined angle 8 formed by the auxiliary shaft 5 and the vertical line. That is, the main shaft 2 is more oblique than the auxiliary shaft 5. The abutting member 8 of the auxiliary shaft 5 is made of a soft material, e.g. rubber, foam, and etc., and is configured to enable the auxiliary shaft 5 to stably abut against the user.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the auxiliary shaft, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a circle B shown in FIG. 3. Please also refer to FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the joining member 9 has a flat cuboid shape, and the auxiliary shaft 5 is connected to the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4 through the joining member 9, wherein a magnetic element 91 is provided at a side wall 92 of the joining member 9 close to the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4 so that the joining member 9 is magnetically attached to the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the joining member of the auxiliary shaft. In another embodiment of the present invention, a magnetic element 93 is provided at a bottom 94 of the joining member 9. The joining member 9 is magnetically attached to the non-striking side 42 of the putter head 4 through the magnetic element 93. It is to be noted that the joining member 9 may have any shape other than the cuboid shape in other embodiments depending on the external design of the putter head 4.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention showing the cross-section of the second shaft portion in the first shaft portion and the connecting element, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a circle C shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, a screw 11 having external threads is formed at the upper end of the second shaft portion 7 of the auxiliary shaft 5 and mates with a movable locking fastener 12 having internal threads. The clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the first shaft portion 6 enables the first shaft portion 6 to secure or release the second shaft portion 7, thereby a combined length of the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 can be adjusted. For example, when the user wants to adjust the length of the auxiliary shaft 5 to fit his/her stature, s/he can rotate the first shaft portion 6 in a certain direction (clockwise or counterclockwise direction) so that the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 can be released from each other and moved relatively to each other. After the auxiliary shaft 5 is adjusted to a desirable length, the user rotates the first shaft portion 6 in a direction opposite to the certain direction to the extent that the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 cannot move relatively to each other and thereby to fix the length of the auxiliary shaft 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation showing the downward movement of the second shaft portion with respect to the first shaft portion in accordance with the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention. When the user wants the auxiliary shaft 5 to be extended to fit his/her stature, s/he can rotate and release the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 to enable relative movement of the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7. When the second shaft portion 7 moves downwardly with respect to the first shaft portion 6, the connecting element 10 can abut against the movable locking fastener 12 to prevent the second shaft portion 7 from further moving downwardly and separating from the first shaft portion 6. Then, the user rotates the first shaft portion 6 to the extent that the first shaft portion 6 and the second shaft portion 7 cannot move relatively to each other. FIG. 8 shows the maximum length of the auxiliary shaft 5.

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation showing the operation of the pendulum putting trainer of the present invention in real practice. As shown in FIG. 9, the user holds the main shaft 2 in a conventional manner with the abutting member 8 on the auxiliary shaft 5 of the pendulum putting trainer 1 abutting against the user's abdomen. During the entire striking process, the abutting location serves as the center of circle for the pendulum-type stroke. The user must maintain the above-mentioned stance to perform a putting stroke. If the abutting member 8 separates from the user's body or moves away from the original location during the striking process, it means the user uses his/her elbow and arm muscles when striking a ball. The use of elbow and arm muscles makes the abutting member 8 move away from the original center of circle and is an incorrect stroking method. If the abutting member 8 remains abutting against the user during the entire striking process, it means the user performs the stroke by rotating his/her upper body and shoulders, and this is a correct method for precisely performing the pendulum-type stroke.

While this creation has been described by way of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this creation is not limited hereto, and that various changes and alterations can be made herein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this creation as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pendulum putting trainer, comprising: a main shaft provided with a handle at one end thereof and a putter head at the other end thereof, the putter head having a striking face and a non-striking side opposite to the striking face; and an auxiliary shaft having a first shaft portion provided with an abutting member at an upper end thereof and a second shaft portion provided with a joining member that connects with the non-striking side of the putter head of the main shaft at a lower end thereof, the auxiliary shaft being arranged obliquely such that it has an included angle with respect to the main shaft; wherein a connecting element is disposed at a location where the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion are connected; and wherein the first shaft portion is hollow and the second shaft portion can move relatively within the first shaft portion and the connecting element, thereby a length of the auxiliary shaft can be adjusted.
 2. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 1, wherein a screw having external threads is formed at an upper end of the second shaft portion of the auxiliary shaft and mates with a movable locking fastener having internal threads.
 3. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 2, wherein the connecting element can abut against the movable locking fastener and thereby to prevent the second shaft portion from separating from the first shaft portion downwardly.
 4. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 1, wherein clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the first shaft portion enables the first shaft portion to secure or release the second shaft portion, thereby a combined length of the first shaft portion and the second shaft portion can be adjusted.
 5. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 1, wherein the joining member of the second shaft portion of the auxiliary shaft is provided with a magnetic element so as to magnetically attach to the putter head of the main shaft.
 6. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic element is provided at a side wall of the joining member close to the non-striking side of the putter head.
 7. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic element is provided at a bottom of the joining member.
 8. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 1, wherein the abutting member of the first shaft portion has a soft material.
 9. The pendulum putting trainer according to claim 1, wherein the main shaft has an inclination greater than that of the auxiliary shaft. 